A prominent Marin doctor was arrested Thursday in connection with the shooting of a Tiburon driver in Corte Madera after a suspected road rage incident, authorities said.

James Stephen Simon, 71, was booked into the Marin County Jail on suspicion of felony assault with a firearm, according to the Central Marin Police Authority. Simon has lived in Corte Madera since the 1970s. He performs flight physicals at Gnoss Field in Novato.

The shooting occurred Thursday around 10:40 a.m. on the 5100 block of Paradise Drive near Robin Drive, Central Marin police Chief Todd Cusimano said. Police believe both men were driving on Paradise Drive headed to their homes when the situation went sour.

"One felt the other one was cut off and it basically culminated in Mr. Simon's driveway," Cusimano said. "There's no evidence they knew each other."

He said Simon pulled into his driveway off of Paradise Drive and into his garage, with a 69-year-old man from Tiburon — whose name has not been released — trailing behind him. As the garage door closed, it struck the Tiburon man's vehicle, police said.

Simon is believed to have gone inside his home to retrieve a .357-caliber revolver, then fired one warning shot into the hillside across from his home. Police said he then shot the Tiburon man two times in the abdomen.

The wounded man was transported to Marin General Hospital conscious and talking but in serious condition, Cusimano said. He said the man received emergency surgery late Thursday afternoon and would be interviewed again Friday.

Cusimano said it's possible the Tiburon man could be arrested if his actions fell into the realm of reckless driving, but that has yet to be determined.

"As we move forward, we will also look at the road rage part of this," he said.

Charles D. Dresow, Simon's attorney, issued a statement Thursday night: "This is a clear case of self-defense. I am confident that the facts will ultimately prove that Dr. Simon was in fear for his life and the life of his wife. He acted solely in self-defense. The other driver chased Dr. Simon and his wife down their driveway and even drove his car into the garage while Dr. Simon was attempting to close the garage door behind him. Dr. Simon and his family sincerely hope the other driver recovers."

Simon is a well-known member of the community and a senior aviation medical examiner at Gnoss Field, providing exams to pilots and air traffic controllers. He was director of St. Mary's Hospital's emergency department in San Francisco in the late 1970s and served as medical director of the student health center at the College of Marin, according to Marin Independent Journal archives. He has also worked at the Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center in Fremont.

The Brooklyn, New York, native has a wife and three adult children. Simon has created multiple medical devices, including a redesigned intubation tube. He has worked in emergency wards throughout Northern California, been a family physician and an occupational health doctor.

Corte Madera Mayor Michael Lappert said he's known Simon for 30 years as he used to do Lappert's flight physicals. In a strange turn of events, Lappert — who serves as a reserve police officer — was one of the first officials to arrive on scene at Thursday's shooting.

"I made sure the scene was safe. I helped put the man in the ambulance and then turned my attention to Dr. Simon," Lappert said.

He said it's amazing how upset people can get in traffic and that road rage can elicit powerful emotions.

"It's a bad thing all around. If there's anything to learn from this, it's that road rage can only have a bad ending," he said.